ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

100 Years and Then Some—Blues Poetry

In this poetry workshop, we will study blues poetry through listening to music, reading lyrics/poems, and writing our own blues.Though our primary focus will be craft, especially on contemporary blues aesthetics and practice, we will ground our work with a discussion about the historical context of “The blues.”  

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR

Jorrell Watkins is from Richmond, VA. He is an alum of Hampshire College and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. He received fellowships from the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, Smithsonian Institution, Fulbright Japan, and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. His chapbook If Only the Sharks Would Bite won the inaugural Desert Pavilion Chapbook Series in Poetry. He is also the coauthor of Studies in Brotherly Love (Prompt Press, 2021), a poetry chapbook based on Malcolm Corley’s paintings, with Claretta Holsey, DJ Savarese, and Lateef McLeod. His debut full-length collection, PlayHouse was published by Northwestern University Press, Curbstone Books in 2024. Currently, he lives in LA and is pursuing a PhD in Creative Writing & Literature at USC.

ACCESSIBILITY

Accessibility is a core value for Split This Rock. We strive to provide programs, materials, and communications that allow people within the disability community to engage fully. Zoom auto-captions will be provided. Written versions of poem prompts and poems used for discussion will be provided via screen share, the chat, or links. 

Let us know of any accessibility questions or accommodation requests via the workshop registration form or by emailing [email protected] with "ACCESS REQUEST" in the subject line by Friday, January 2nd. Given our ongoing funding challenges, we cannot promise accessibility services, but will do our best to provide accommodations.

ABOUT SPLIT THIS ROCK

Split This Rock is the only national organization with a mission to integrate poetry and social justice. We materially support poets who are often excluded and underrepresented in the literary landscape, particularly those who are BIPOC, LGBTQ, disabled or chronically ill, and/or working class. With strong commitments to racial, gender, economic, and disability justice, we work to expand the horizons of inclusion and assert the transformative power of language to bear witness to injustice and provoke social change. We believe poetry acts as an agent for change by revealing the diversity and complexity of human experience, reflecting on daily lives and struggles, considering personal and social responsibility, and envisioning a better world. Learn more at Split This Rock's website.